In a rousing speech to the Democratic National Convention, former U.S.
President Bill Clinton formally nominated President Barack Obama
Wednesday night saying, “I know we’re coming back” from the worst
economic mess in generations and appealed to millions of hard-pressed
Americans to support Mr. Obama for a second term in the White House.
Mr. Obama walked slowly on stage as Mr. Clinton completed his
impassioned speech. The former president bowed, and Mr. Obama pulled him
into an embrace as thousands of delegates jammed into the convention
hall roared their approval.
Mr. Clinton’s nationally televised speech was the highlight of the
second day of the three-day Democratic National Convention, which
formally launches Mr. Obama into what is expected to be a tight race
against Republican Mitt Romney. Mr. Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday
night will be the highlight of the convention, though Democrats on
Wednesday abandoned plans for Mr. Obama to deliver the address at a
large football stadium, citing weather concerns.
Democrats have used their convention to push back against Republican
claims at their gathering last week that Mr. Obama’s devotion to
big-government solutions has stifled the U.S. economy and swollen the
national deficit. Democrats have countered that Mr. Romney would go back
to the economic policies that led to a recession, helping the wealthy
while harming the poor and middle class.
Mr. Clinton was picking up on that theme. In excerpts released ahead of
the speech, Mr. Clinton said, “If you want a you’re-on-your-own,
winner-take-all society, you should support the Republican ticket. If
you want a country of shared prosperity and shared responsibility... you
should vote for Barack Obama and (Vice President) Joe Biden.”
Mr. Clinton said Mr. Obama has “laid the foundation for a more modern,
more well-balanced economy” after inheriting a mess when he took office.
Mr. Clinton was a striking choice for one of the convention’s prime
speaking slots. He’s had a chequered relationship with Mr. Obama, who
ran against Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary, in the 2008 primaries. The
styles of the presidents are opposites - Clinton is outgoing,
boisterous, emotional and chatty, while Obama is cool, meticulous and
reserved.
But few politicians are more popular than Mr. Clinton. Even Republicans,
who tried to force Mr. Clinton from office on charges he lied under
oath about an affair, try to draw a contrast with Mr. Obama by praising
Mr. Clinton’s record balancing budgets and reforming welfare. Opinion
polls show Mr. Clinton is especially well-regarded among white male
voters, a group of voters that Mr. Obama has struggled to win over.
The personal tensions between Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton have eased with
Ms. Hillary Clinton serving as Mr. Obama’s loyal secretary of state and a
potential presidential candidate in 2016. Ms. Hillary Clinton will be
midway through an 11-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region and should be
in East Timor when her husband speaks.
Mr. Clinton’s speech follows a boisterous first day of the convention in
which Democrats painted Mr. Romney, a wealthy businessman and former
Massachusetts governor, as a privileged millionaire who doesn’t
understand the struggles of regular Americans. First lady Michelle Obama
was the star speaker, talking about her husband’s humble roots and
speaking of his compassion.
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